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We have learned that we have at least two published authors in our MHS midst. One is a classmate (John R. Cooke) and the other is the daughter (Ann Roscopf Allen) of a classmate.

Ladies first – Ann Roscopf Allen, the daughter of Charles Roscopf, class of 1946, published A Serpent Cherished in 2004. It is a historical novel set in the time period from soon after the Civil War to around 1913. I found it captivating and a joy to read. It can be ordered from Amazon.com and BarnesandNobles.com or purchased from the Delta Cultural Center in Helena. Her webpage explains more. The web address is: www.aserpentcherished.com.

The book cover reads as follows: Confederate Colonel H. Clay King seeks to help the beautiful young widow of his commanding office who has lost everything. When Mary Eliza Pillow is invited to move onto his plantation, she chases away his wife, seduces the love-struck colonel, and persuades him to give her a deed to his plantation. When she records the deed against his wishes, he assaults her, but she refuses to leave the property and seizes it by force. Thus begins a series of scandalous, highly publicized lawsuits, resulting in a noontime murder on Main Street in Memphis. Based on a true story, A Serpent Cherished paints a vivid picture of the late nineteenth century Arkansas Delta where an honorable attorney and landowner yields to the temptation of a charming but dangerous woman. A Serpent Cherished recounts the tangled tale of a nineteenth century woman determined to use any means – lies, scandal, lawsuits – to get what she wants and a vulnerable man driven to do anything to protect his honor.

A native of Helena, Arkansas, Ann Roscopf Allen is a former college English instructor. She lives with her husband and two children on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Gentlemen last – John R. “Jack” Cooke, class of 1955, published Votaire Six in 2002. Also a historical novel, it is set in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967. Jack was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam during this period and it is from his experiences and the experiences of his fellow Top Tigers pilots that he writes. I found his book to be fascinating, historical interesting, and fun to read. His book can be purchased from Amazon.com. You will recognize a familiar place or two of local (Phillips County) interest. You will also detect some high school reminiscences.

The book cover reads as follows: Lieutenant Winston Clark was a helicopter pilot. He is just what he wanted to be and where he wanted to be. When he arrived in Vietnam, he was fresh from the hills of Old Catawba and fully prepared to “bear any burden,” as the handsome young president had said. But was he prepared for what awaited him at Les Trungs rubber plantation? Was he prepared for his encounter with the mysterious Frenchman, “Voltaire Six?” Was he prepared for the girl named Genevieve, the girl with the honey-colored hair? And was he prepared for the “68^th Buddha” and the climactic and explosive battles of the Tet offensive? Prepared or not, the Top Tigers and the Viet Cong were on a violent collision course and this tour of duty would haunt Lieutenant Clark forever. Voltaire Six is the story of fighting men and women on both sides of the ideological lines rushing down a stormy wind-tunnel of passion, history, and destiny. John Cooke writes with a marvelous sense of character, time, and place. You are there – and you will not forget it.

John R. Cooke served as a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. In addition to serving there as a pilot (with the Top Tigers) in 1967, he served two additional years in Vietnam in staff positions. After leaving the army in 1978, he taught History with the University of Maryland (European Division), and later at Brunswick Community College in Shallotte, North Carolina. He now resides with his wife, Astrid, in Wilmington, North Carolina. Voltaire Six is his first published novel.

There may be other authors out there with MHS ties. If so, please let us know so that we can mentioned their work on this web page.